Curious?: Discover the Missing Ingredient to a Fulfilling Life (Hardcover)

Description

Dead cats. That's the image many people conjure up when you mention curiosity. An image perpetuated by a dusty old proverb that has long represented the extent of our understanding of the term. This book might not put the proverb to rest, but it will flip it upside down: far from killing anything, curiosity breathes new life into almost everything it touches.

In Curious? Dr. Todd Kashdan offers a profound new message missing from so many books on happiness: the greatest opportunities for joy, purpose, and personal growth don't, in fact, happen when we're searching for happiness. They happen when we are mindful, when we explore what's novel, and when we live in the moment and embrace uncertainty. Positive events last longer and we can extract more pleasure and meaning from them when we are open to new experiences and relish the unknown.

Dr. Kashdan uses science, story, and practical exercises to show you how to become what he calls a curious explorer—a person who's comfortable with risk and challenge and who functions optimally in an unstable, unpredictable world. Here's a blueprint for building lasting, meaningful relationships, improving health, increasing creativity, and boosting productivity. Aren't you curious to know more?

Praise For…

“Curiosity is what makes for great leaders, great parents, and great friends. Buttressed by the latest scientific research, Curious? is one of those rare books that can make you rethink how you see the world.” -—Arianna Huffington

“Curious? points the way to an exploring spirit that leads to wonderment, joy, and meaning. It’s one of those rare books that is both research-based and practical.” -—David G. Myers, author, The Pursuit of Happiness

“Combining well-designed self-help with state-of-the-art positive psychology and profoundly inspiring stories, this is the perfect book to read when you are having second thoughts about challenging yourself to explore that next step in life!” -—Stephen Post, Ph.D., and coauthor of Why Good Things Happen to Good People

“Curious? will wake you up to the rewards, adventures, and meaning inherent in both life’s most momentous and most quotidian moments.” -—Sonja Lyubomirsky, Ph.D., author of The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want

“Todd Kashdan gives us the tools, language, and plan to put a life change into effect. And the journey can be as happy as the destination.” -—Marci Shimoff, author of Happy for No Reason

“A vivid and pragmatic account of the mental alchemy through which curiosity and interest transform stress, fear, and pain into vital elements conducive to more purposeful living.” -—Zindel V. Segal, Ph.D., author of The Mindful Way Through Depression